Cover for sealing liquid surfaces



Aug. 1, 1939. R. BAINTON 2,167,619

COVER FOR SEALING LIQUID SURFACES Filed Aug. 16, 1958 [24 YMO/VO 54w roN,

INVENTOR.

BY 50; 4 42 m ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED s'm'rss PATENT. OFFICE 2,167,619 a covert FOR SEALING moon) snaracas Raymond Bainton, Santa Monica, Calif. I Application August 16, um, Serial No. mm

' liquid surfaces.

The invention is more particularly intended for use in connection with cans of paint to prevent the formation of a skin upon the surface of the body of paint contained in a can whenever it becomes necessary to allow an unused portion of the,contents of a can to remain standing for a time.

It often occurs that a painter will open a can of paint and withdraw the'contents thereof in several different installments, a considerable interval of time elapsing' between the periods of use. In the absence of any means of sealing ofi from the air the top surface of the paint during such intervals, a tenacious coat or skin or hard-- ened, thickened paint ingredients will be formed which will have to be removed and thrown away each time the painter uses an additional quantity of paint from the can. The part which is thus thrown away reduces the quantity of vehicle in the paint to such an extent as often to seriously lower the quality of the paint by the time the lower portion of the contents of the can is put into use. This loss destroys the ratio of vehicle and pigment originally established by the manufacturer.

By this invention, an efficient means is afforded for excluding the air from the surface of the 1 body paint in a can which will effectively prevent the injurious effect upon the paint which would otherwise occur as the result of the formation of one or more skins or coats upon the paint as already stated.

Though the invention is primarily intended as a means for offsetting the deterioration of paint, as aforesaid, yet it may also be found useful as a means of preventing the formation of an undesirable skin or coating upon other liquid mixtures.

Other objects, advantages, and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical mid-section through a. partly filled can of paint, showing the invention therein.

Fig. 2-,is a perspective view showing separately the liquid sealing cover provided by the invention.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, by preference and as shown, the cover member 5 provided by the invention is disk shaped and is of (or 2zo 93) a sufhcient flexible character to make it possible to insert it through an opening somewhat less in diameter than the interior diameter of the can 6. Said can '6 is shown-having around its mouth an interiorly directed rim 1, the usual can cover 8 being shown fitted within said rim. In the can shown, about forty per cent of the paint has been removed, leaving an air chamber 9 above the paint body I I. I

In order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the disk 5 to the central portion of one face of said disk, is fastened a manually graspable handle means Ii which consists of a pair of tab members ll, each having an ear l8 furnished with a good-sized eyeletted aperture l9. Said eyeletted apertures strengthen said ears and, as they are positioned to come into registry with each other, the ball portions of the ends of -thumb and finger find a more secure seat in them as they are manually gripped between thumb and finger when the cover'member 5 is inserted or removed.

Said disk 5 is shown as composed of cork, and

- as this substance has a sufflcient coefficient of expansion to cause it to expand somewhat whenit comes into contact with paint, the result is that when it is manufactured of a diameter nearly equal to that of the interior of the can, after insertion it increases slightly in diameter, and, owing to its under face being moistened by the paint then fits with practically fluid tight snugness within the can. The flexibility of said disk 5 not only enables it to be concaved sufficiently to be inserted through the circular opening through the can rim 1, rbut also makes it possible to dispose it upon the surface of the paint body II in such a manner that a diametrical zone across the under face of the disk is the first part thereof to come into contact with thepaint'; and as the disk is allowed to lose its concavenes s, the air glides outwardly toward opposite edge portions thereof, and by the time the disk is fully seated upon the paint, all air bubbles have been forced out from thereunder.

Referring more in detail to the shapes of the tab members ll, each of the members has a cordate body portion, to the wide end of which is connected one of the ears l8, thus providing a divided basal attaching means for the handle element afforded. Said ears outside of their eyelets each have a gummed surface which can be adhered to that of the otherto maintain them in an outwardly projecting relation to the disk. In order to make this possible, it is necessary to secure the body portions of the tabs to the disk with their wide ends in, a substantially contact ing relation to each other. The attachment 01 these tabs to the disk will stifleh its central portion a little, but ilexion of the disk along a diametrical line running between, the tabs and through the notches 2! at each side of them will not be materially interfered with. The disk should be made suillciently thick and still. not to flex until a material stress is applied thereto.

After the complete emptying of a paint can in which the disk 5 has been used, said disk may be transferred to another paint can and used therein sure is for the purpose of illustration only, and

that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the subject matter claimed. v

What is claimed is:

l. The combination, with a cylindrical container having a circular contracted mouth; of a disk insertable within said container to form an air-excluding seal for a body of liquid partly iillmg said container, ma disk having a normal diameter approximately qual to the internal diameter of said container and being suillciently flexible to render it insertable through said contracted mouth, saiddisk also having manually graspable handle means protruding from a face thereof, said handle means having a divided basal attaching portion which restricts the hexibility or said disk, across one diameter thereof and leaves substantially unrestricted its flexibility throughout the diameter thereoi which extends at a right angle to the flrst recited diameter.

2. The combination, with a cylindrical contai'ner having a circular contracted mouth; of a disk lnsertable within said container to form an air-excluding seal for a body oi I liquid partly filling said container, said disk having a normal diameter approximately equal to the internal diameter 01' said container and being sui'iiciently flexible to render it insertable through said contracted mouth, said disk also having manually graspable handle means protruding from a lace thereof, said handle means consisting oi a pair of, elongated tab members substantially abutting agalnst each other at the central portion of the disc, each of said tab members having an elongated basal attaching portion of sheet material. secured to the disk and materially stiilening it along one oi its diameters without adding to its stiiiness alongflzhe diameter thereof right angle thereto. Y

. RAYMOND ata- 

